UCLA School of Law Establishes Resnick Program for Food Law and Policy

​Lauri GavelExecutive Director of CommunicationsUCLA School of Law (310) 206-2611gavel@law.ucla.edu

LOS ANGELES, CA, May 24, 2013 – UCLA School of Law has received a $4 million gift from the Resnick Family Foundation to establish the Resnick Program for Food Law and Policy. The gift provides for as much as another $3 million in matching endowment funds. The new program, the first of its kind at a top tier law school, will explore ways to hasten improvements in the modern food system. In addressing questions of food safety, distribution and access, the Resnick Program will focus on reforming food law and policy for the benefit of the consumer.

As part of this effort, the law school will collaborate with UCLA’s world-class medical, public health, public policy and sustainability programs to provide an interdisciplinary approach to developing effective, consumer-oriented food law and policy, such as increasing educational efforts to assist consumers in understanding the central issues relating to food; improving the clarity and accuracy of food labeling; ensuring food safety and wider access to healthy food for all segments of the population; and monitoring the effect of food production on our natural resources.

“By providing an overarching structure for the study, governance and reform of food law and policy, with an emphasis on the issues that concern consumers most, this gift—and the Resnick Program it creates—will make a tangible difference for consumers across the globe,” Dean Rachel F. Moran said. “Alumnus Stewart Resnick ’62 and his wife Lynda, entrepreneurs and dedicated philanthropists, have long used their charitable donations to promote public health. We are deeply grateful for their generosity and their commitment to advancing sound food law and policy.”

Through the publication and dissemination of policy briefs and position papers, the program will play a crucial role in shaping the policy-making process. A research agenda will evaluate food law and policy initiatives using measurable outcomes, such as changes in consumer awareness of food and health issues, changes in eating patterns and changes in health outcomes. The program will also feature an educational component with conferences, classes, workshops and scholarly publications to foster future leaders in the food law and policy arena.

“UCLA Law is a globally respected institution of higher education located in the food capital of the world,” Stewart Resnick said. “We grow more food in California than anywhere else, and the emphasis on health and wellness here ideally positions UCLA to take a leadership position. The rise of the global food trade has generated a modern food system that is different than anything the world has ever experienced. From the farm to the fork, this system has given rise to profound health, social, and cultural consequences. Our goal with this donation is to help consumers better understand exactly what they’re eating. It’s also an opportunity to improve the clarity and accuracy of food labeling and broaden access to healthy food options. I’m very optimistic that this program can save lives.”

Stewart and Lynda Resnick are longtime supporters of UCLA and of the greater Los Angeles community. They have advanced health care research and enriched cultural programs in the city through their visionary philanthropic programs and initiatives. They contributed $15 million to the construction of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, which opened in June 2008. Three years earlier, UCLA’s neuropsychiatric hospital was named the Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital in honor of their support for UCLA’s medical care programs. In 2002, they received the UCLA Medal, the university’s highest honor, in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to the campus. Stewart was honored with UCLA School of Law’s Alumni of the Year Award in 2005.

Stewart Resnick is a member of the executive board of the UCLA Medical Sciences, the advisory board of the UCLA Anderson School of Management and the advisory board of the Lowell Milken Institute for Business Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law. In 2010, the Resnicks helped to advance UCLA’s efforts to support public interest legal careers. Their gift helped to establish the Stewart and Lynda Resnick Endowed Fund in Support of Public Interest Law, which provides loan forgiveness support for recent law school graduates who enter nonprofit or government service.

About UCLA School of LawFounded in 1949, UCLA School of Law is the youngest major law school in the nation and has established a tradition of innovation in its approach to teaching, research and scholarship. With approximately 100 faculty and 1,100 students, the school pioneered clinical teaching, is a leader in interdisciplinary research and training and is at the forefront of efforts to link research to its effects on society and the legal profession. For more information, visit www.law.ucla.edu.